Tool for crimping metal bungs



(No Model.)

E. G. LEWIS.

TooL FOR GRIMPING METAL BUNGS. No. 426,825. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

Always.

'rares 'Eric nrENr EUGENE C. LEVIS, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,825, dated April29, 1890.

Application filed 'elnnr.;k 14:, 1890. Serial No. 340,430. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE O. LEWIS, of Nashville, in the county ofDavidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain Improvenients inTools for Crimping Metal Bungs, of which the following is aspecification.

At the present day it is the common praetiee to provide sheet-metalvessels with flanged mouths or necks and to close these mouths byapplying thereover a peripherallyfianged cap or bung, which is securedin place by crimping its flange inward around the flange or neck of thevessel.

My invention relates to a portable tool or instrument for thus crimpingand securing the bungs, and which is also adapted for securing the topsand bottoms of sheet-metal cans to their bodies.

The tool consists, essentially, of a series of crimping-rolls carried bylevers on a rotating frame and combined with gearing for imparting arotary motion, and with automatic devices whereby the levers areoperated to close the rollers inward against the periphery of the bungWhile traveling around the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of a can andof the bung for closing the same. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing thebung secured in place. a side view of my crimping-tool. Fig. 4 is afront View of the same, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.Fig. 5 is a seetional view on the line Fig. G is a section on the line1/ y of Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a metal bar having its lower endin the form of a round rod or spindle a, while its upper end isflattened and provided witha fixed handle a', which serves as a means ofholding the instrument, preventing its rotation, and applying pressureto the bung. At its lower end the spindle a is provided with a fixedcircular plate a2, intended to rest on top of the bung in order to holdthe same down in place upon the can and to prevent its rotation dur ingthe crimping operation.

Bis a sleeve or tube mounted to revolve freely around the spindle a andprovided at its upper end with a beveled pinion l), through which itreceives motion from a pinion b2, which latter is mounted on a fixedstud Ul Fig. 3 is and provided with a hand-crank b4, the rotation ofwhich imparts a rotary motion to the sleeve or tool. Near its lower endthe sleeve is provided with a plate or spider C, fixed rigidly theretoand having in its outer edge the vertical slots to receive three leversc, which are sustained by horizontal pivots c and provided at the lowerend with horizontal crimpin g-rolls c2. These rolls may be attached tothe ends of the levers by screws, as shown,or irrany other manner whichwill admit of their free rotation. A plate c is secured to the lower endof the sleeve and provided with notches to receive the lower ends of thelevers above the rollers, and this for the purpose of giving the leverslateral support. A spring c in the form of an elastic ring is seatedbetween and y against the lower ends of the three levers and tends tothrow them outward, so as to maintain the separation of the rollers.

A cone D is mounted to slide freely upward and downward on the sleevefor the purpose of separating the upper ends of the levers, and therebycausing the lower ends to close inward against the bung. The upper endof this cone has a neck inserted loosely through an arm d and secured bya collar d. The arrn d is attached to the lower end of a rack-bar (Z2,which slides vertically through fixed guide-arms d3 on the side of thebar A. A worm-wheel d4, fixed to and revolving with the sleeve, engagesthe rack-bar, as shown in Fig. l, so that as'the sleeve rotates the wormcauses the rack-bar to descend and carry the cone D gradually downwardbetween the levers, the effect of which is to gradually close thecrimping-rolls inward toward the center. The rack-bar is mounted so thatit may turn around its longitudinal axis in order to disengage its teethfrom the worm-wheel, so that after the cone has been carried down andthe crimping operation completed the rack-bar may be disengaged and thecone lifted instantly to its original position. A spiral spring d5,attached at one end to the rack-bar and at the other to the frame, tendsto turn the rack out of engagement with the worm-wheel. A finger' orlatch d6 is fixed to the upper end of the rack-bar, and the bar Aprovided in its upper end with a groove di, (clearly shown in Fig. 5,)its upper and lower ends opening laterally through the edge of thebar.lletore the operation commences the latch is turned into the upper endof the groove and, engaging in the vertical portion of the same, holdsthe rack in engagement. As the cone and rack-bar descend, the latchtravels downward in the vertical portion of the groove and maintains therack in engagement. At the completion of the operation the latch reachesthe lower end ot' the groove and releases the rackbar, which isimmediately turned by the spring d5 so as to throw the latch out of thebar, whereupon the rack and its connections are lit'ted, asbeforeexplained.

The manner of using the tool is as follows: A circular peripherally-flanged bung E is seated looselyover the inclined flange or mouth F on thecan. (See Fig. l.) The operator grasping the handle et the instrumentseats the plate a at the lower end centrally upon the bung and applies amoderate pressure to hold the bung down in place and to prevent theparts from rotating. lle then revolves the crank l1, holding the t'rameat rest. As a result of this operation the sleeve and its leverscausathe rollers to travel around the outer edge of the bung, and at thesame time the worm-wheel, through the rack-bar, causes the cone D togradually descend, separating the upper ends oi' the levers and causingthe rollers lo be carried inward toward the center, so that they act tocrimp or close the llange of the bung inward tightly around and beneaththe mouth ot' the can. This operation continues until the bung is lirmlyattached and a close joint produced between it and the can,

after which the latch releases the rack and permits the cone to belifted, so that the rollers may separate and permit the removal et t-hetool.

In order that the crimping-rolls may be closed to a greater or lessextent, I so connect the finger il to the rack-bar that the linger maybeadjusted longitudinally thereon. By adjusting the fm ger at differentpoints on the bar the latter will be released at a lower or higher pointin its descent, according to the adjustment of the Hilger. As shown inFig.

3, the upper extended end of the rendi-liar is threaded and screwed intothe end of the arm d, above which a nut di is applied.

lIaving thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The hand-toolfor crimping bungs, consisting' of the standard A, provided at its upperend with the fixed handle a means oi' applying pressure and preventingrotation of the standard, in combination with the rotary sleeve providedwith the driving-pinion, the pinion driving-gear mounted on a journal.on the standard and provided with a hand-crank, the levers pivoted tothe rotary sleeve, the rollers mounted on the lower ends of the le vers,the sliding cone encircling the sleeve and acting' between the upperends ot' the levers, and gearing, substantially as shown, toautomatically advance the cone.

2. The bar or standard, the rollers, theirlevers, and the lever-carryingsleeve rcvoluble around the standard, in combination with the crank andgearing to revolve the sleeve, the sliding cone, its rack-bar, and theworm-wheel to actuate the rack, said elements combined substantially asshown.

3. In combination with the standard, the revoluble sleeve provided withthe pinion and worm-wheel, the hand-crank and pinion, the levers mountedon the sleeve, their rollers, t-he sliding cone, its controlling-arm,the racl@ bar mounted to turn out of engagement with the wornrwhcel, andthe finger to maintain the engagement.

et. In combination with the frame, the ro tary sleeve, itsroller-carrying lever, and the sliding cone to operate the levers, theworm and rack to move the eene, and the rack-eontrolling fin ger d, adjustably connected to the rack, whereby the machine may be adjusted toclose the eri1nping-rolls to a greater or less extent.

In testimony whereof l hereunto set my hand, this Zit-h day o'llJanuary, 18210, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

EUGENIE (l. LEWIS.

lili t nesses:

G. Sirnrlx'rii-i', A. 'I Mensen.

